Hardwired with Jeff Wickwire

Ironically enough, patience is a virtue that you build up over time. Especially in today’s society, it’s too easy to get anything you want exactly when you want it. If you look hard enough, that next thing you want or need is available with free two-day shipping. But Pastor Jeff reminds you that the patience that the Lord gives you is built slowly over time. Learning to follow Jesus is a deliberate process that can’t be rushed. But the good news is that every day you stick with it, that process becomes easier.

Did you know that you have something in your heart that Satan wants? It’s not something that he wants for himself; it’s something that he wants to rip out of you and destroy. Pastor Jeff teaches you today that the moment that God’s Word took root in your heart, you became the enemy’s target. You may face demonic attacks in this life, because the enemy’s goal is for you to allow the blossoming Word of God to die in your heart. It’s something that you need to protect with everything you have.

Living life as a Christian in a world of sin is meant to be difficult. You’re surrounded by people that aren’t held to the same standard that you are, and it would seem so much easier to just give in to sin and follow a looser set of rules. But Pastor Jeff doesn’t want you to trade in short-term relief and lose out on the long-term blessings that come with living a life pleasing to God. When you live a righteous life, God will reward you by inviting you into the eternal Kingdom that He is going to establish on Earth.

It’s an unfortunate reality that evil reigns in the world as we know it. Everywhere we look, we can see how evil people have built empires for themselves, exploiting those beneath them without regard for anyone else’s well-being. It can be discouraging for anyone, even a follower of Jesus, to see this kind of evil reigning unchecked. But Pastor Jeff wants us to realize that evil is only in control for a short time. When Jesus returns, He will cast down every evil ruler and tyrant and establish His Kingdom on Earth.

When the Bible says that God sets a table for us in the presence of our enemies, that means that He has already gone before us to prepare the way for us. Sometimes it can feel like we are walking through this life alone, like no one is watching out for us. But Pastor Jeff reminds us that we have a God who cares about us and is looking out for us. If you're feeling alone as you walk through a difficult season, it may just well be because God is preparing the path ahead of you to give you rest!

What would you do if you got a phone call from an attorney, letting you know that a distant relative left you an inheritance of ten thousand dollars with no strings attached? Even that amount of money can be life-changing in the right circumstances. Well, Pastor Jeff teaches you today that while money is a useful thing to have, it is not the thing that will bring you lasting happiness in this life. There are rich people who never seem to have enough, but the riches found in God’s Word will satisfy your soul.

One of the three essential elements to building a strong spiritual root system is reading God’s Word! The Bible wasn’t just written for people two thousand years ago; it is full of wisdom that is relevant to you and me today! Pastor Jeff teaches us that we can never learn too much from God’s Word. Every day that we open our Bibles, we are opening new opportunities to hear from our Heavenly Father. The Lord has already given us all of the tools we need to succeed in this world, and it starts with His Word.

Trees can grow extremely deep and complex root systems! These roots help anchor trees to the ground, but are also useful to draw moisture from deep underground. These root systems can even stretch down hundreds of feet, depending on the environment! Well, Pastor Jeff wants to teach you in today’s message that your faith in Jesus is a lot like a tree. With weak, shallow roots, your faith can be uprooted in a mild breeze. But with deeper roots, you will be able to withstand strong storms.

As a Christian, it is all too easy to look at the state of this world and be worried about the future of the faith. But Pastor Jeff encourages you to be hopeful today! There is a revival coming, where men and women, young and old, will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to spread the Gospel into communities all around the world! While right now it seems like the soil of humanity is hardened to the Good News, there are people whose hearts are ready to receive the message of hope that Jesus provides.

You are not guaranteed a single second more on Earth than the ones you have already been given. There are plenty of people who got out of bed one morning without knowing that they wouldn’t be ending their day on this side of eternity. Pastor Jeff doesn’t want you to waste the time you have on this Earth, which is why he quotes the book of Galatians to remind you that you should take every opportunity to do good on the Earth. You never know which good deed will be your last in this world.

Philosophy is one of the vehicles that mankind has built in an effort to understand reality on its own terms. Countless people have turned to philosophy to round out their own worldviews and attempt to fill the God-sized hole in their hearts. But when you realize that all of mankind’s wisdom is eclipsed by the glory of God, you don’t need to listen to those dead men and their thoughts about the world anymore. Pastor Jeff reminds you that you have a direct line of communication the Creator of the universe.

In C.S. Lewis’ book, The Screwtape Letters, the demon Screwtape says that the easiest road to hell is a gradual one, without signposts or warnings along the way. In today’s message, Pastor Jeff warns you how easy it is to harden your heart against God. Most people who reject the Lord don’t do it in some big emotional moment; it’s usually the result of many small decisions over a long period of time. But you can make small everyday decisions to open your heart towards God as well!

Allowing offenses and grudges to become implanted in your mind will only lead to more negative thoughts. It becomes a great big feedback loop, as your mind spirals further and further into depression and despair. Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you today that God offers you a different way to live! In order to break free from the spiral, you must focus your thoughts on God! His grace gives you the ability to let go of the things that used to offend you, so that you can live in the freedom that Christ offers you.

One of the most important jobs of a farmer is to prepare the soil for the seeding of plants. Soil must be tilled, fertilizer must be added, and seeds must be carefully placed in the ground in a way that they can grow and flourish. Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you in today’s message that the process of being born again starts with the seed of the Kingdom of God being planted in your heart. That seed doesn’t take root at the same time for everyone, but the fruit it bears is always based on God’s perfect timing!

If you spend significant time in a foreign country, you may notice yourself slowly adopting some of the mannerisms of your host culture. It can be little things like expecting different weather patterns, or it can be something as significant as the way you greet someone for the first time! Pastor Jeff teaches you today that even though Joseph spent most of his life in Egypt, the most important part of his cultural identity remained intact. Joseph remained faithful to God, and God remained faithful to him.

Now, don’t look directly at the sun, but picture in your mind how big that shining star is in the morning sky. From your perspective, it’s not all that large! But in reality, the entire Earth can fit inside the Sun 1.3 million times! Pastor Jeff teaches you today that you are even smaller than that in God’s eyes. The Lord can see everything that is going on in the world, and He isn’t surprised by anything that happens to you. God doesn’t need your help or guidance; He just needs you to be obedient.

If you were to get lost in a forest, would you rather have a hand-drawn map made by a child or a detailed map of the area with major bodies of water and nearby roads? Clearly, the second option would help you find your way out of danger and back to civilization, while the hand-drawn map would be inaccurate and lead you astray. Well, Pastor Jeff puts it bluntly today, when he reminds you that your heart is an imperfect guide for your life. If you want to navigate the world safely, you need God’s map to be your guide.

In order to follow God completely, you need to recognize that His ways are higher than your own and that His plans supersede yours. There will be times in life where His plans line up with yours, but there will also be times where His answer to you is “no”, and you watch your enemy or rival receive the victory that you had been praying for. Pastor Jeff doesn’t want you to be discouraged when that happens; he wants you to remember that all will be made right at the end of days.

Have you ever watched Rocky? One of the most iconic scenes from that movie is Rocky’s training montage, where you can see him working out to the point of exhaustion, pushing himself further and further until he accomplishes his goals. Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you today that if you want to live a great life for God, you are going to have to face difficult trials. Those tough times aren’t there to knock you down. Instead, God sets trials in your life in order to help you grow stronger in your faith!

God’s sovereignty is an all-or-nothing equation. Either God is God, or He isn’t. In today’s message, Pastor Jeff teaches you about how God was directing Joseph’s steps, even though Joseph didn’t know what the end goal was. He suffered through several trials, but chose to remain faithful to God in spite of his circumstances. You have every reason to protest and scream at God when things get tough in this life, but if you are able to trust Him with everything, there is no limit to what He can do through you!

There are two ways to respond when someone wrongs you. The first way is to allow the offense to take hold in your heart, which will eventually cause resentment to grow within you like a disease. But Pastor Jeff encourages you today to develop a habit of forgiveness. If you get to the point that you can let offenses slip away, you will be able to experience real peace. In your life. Joseph’s brothers didn’t know how to let go of the resentment in their hearts, and they ended up selling their brother into slavery.

God gave Joseph a dream that the world would bow down before him, even his father, his mother, and his brothers. The way that God made that dream come through for Joseph wasn’t how he envisioned it, but God fulfilled the promise all the same! Pastor Jeff reminds you today that God has also promised that all will one day bow before Jesus, even Satan and his forces. So even though things may look bad right now in this world, you can rest in the assurance that God will have the final victory over evil!

Favoritism can sow seeds of destruction in a family. In today’s message, Pastor Jeff teaches you that Israel’s favoritism towards Joseph led his other sons to grow jealous of their younger brother. Their jealousy would fester to the point that the brothers sold Joseph into slavery. Now, maybe your unfavored family members aren’t planning anything that drastic, but showing favoritism can create fissures in the family relationship that will take years to heal, if they even heal at all.

When you go to the gym, it’s easy to pick up a small weight and exercise without giving your body any challenge. You won’t feel fatigued at the end of your workout, but you also won’t gain as many of the benefits of the exercise. But when you push yourself to lift a heavier load, your strength will increase as your body adapts to the new weight. Pastor Jeff teaches you today that listening to wise counsel is how you challenge your heart, to make it grow stronger and wiser, instead of opting for easy exercises.

Every handyman that has ever lived has at least one tool that has a very specific and unique purpose. It may not be good at a lot of tasks, but there is one task where that tool is an absolute lifesaver, and the handyman will feel like a million bucks when that tool comes in handy. Well, that is exactly how God sees you as well! Pastor Jeff teaches today that you have been created by God to be exactly who you are right now, and you never know when you will be the exact person needed to fulfill His will for the world.

What if God asked you to give up your most precious possession? Would you be able to say “yes” to the Lord, or would you hesitate and disobey Him? That’s the dilemma that Abraham faced when God asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. But Pastor Jeff teaches you today that Abraham had faith in God, and he knew that God would replace what he gave up. There may come a time in your life when God will ask you to sacrifice for Him, but you can be sure that He has something better in store.

Every story has a beginning. For the nation of Israel, that story begins with the patriarchs, the three men who established the lineage for the Israelite people for millennia to come. Pastor Jeff is going to teach us in today’s message that in order for us to understand the story of the Israelites, as well as our own place in this world as followers of Jesus, we must understand how God established His Covenant with Abraham. He called Abraham out of a sinful land, just as He calls us out of this sinful world.

Have you ever tried to pay for a meal at a restaurant with Monopoly money? The staff would look at you like you were crazy, and then ask for you to pay with real money. Well, Pastor Jeff teaches you today that any religion that doesn’t teach God’s Word is a false one, and it is as useful in life as play money. False religions have been around for nearly all of human history, but it’s just as important now to learn how to recognize and combat false teachings as they try to infiltrate God’s Church.

Your life will always be a reflection of what you prioritize in your life. If you choose to live for yourself and live the way the world tells you to live, you will find yourself less sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. But Pastor Jeff teaches you today that if you want to live for God, you have to make Him the center of everything in your life! What would your day look like if the first thing you thought of when you woke up was God’s goodness? It will completely transform your life!

If you have children in your life, or have ever watched someone else’s children, you know how important it is to be patient with them! They may not heed your instructions on the first, second, or even twelfth time you tell them to do something! Pastor Jeff reminds you today that God is a patient Father, and He gives plenty of opportunity for people to follow Him. But there is a line in the sand that, if it is crossed, will result in God’s judgment coming against you. Repent now, before you cross that line!

Have you ever gotten the feeling that you’re in the exact right place where you’re supposed to be? You can feel an intense sense of purpose in your mundane times of work that leaves you feeling convinced you’re in the right place. Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you today that all of humanity has been created for work. Whether your work is in an office setting, preparing and serving food, or raising the next generation, being an effective and dutiful worker brings glory to the Kingdom of God.